Colorado Medical Society

CIVHC: Health care service prices vary widely across Colorado

Wednesday, January 11, 2017 08:14 AM

A new report from the Colorado All-Payer Claims Database shows that payments for health care services vary widely across Colorado but CIVHC concludes that it is impossible to draw general conclusions about variation in prices based solely on geography or volume of services performed.

For example, in 2014, the Western Slope had the highest median paid amount for brain MRIs, yet this region was not the highest cost region for any other service analyzed. Similarly, while residents of Northeast Colorado paid thousands of dollars more than the statewide median for dorsal/lumbar spinal surgeries as well as knee and hip replacements, they were not the highest cost region for colonoscopies or head CT exams.

“This report underscores the need to better understand the drivers behind these fluctuating health care costs so that we can address the disparities,” said Ana English, CIVHC CEO, in a press release. “As an organization, we are committed to providing this type of compelling information in order to inform efforts to move all of Colorado toward a value-based health care system.”